| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alex Zülle | ||||||||||||
| Nickname | Perro Loco "Rompetechos" | ||||||||||||
| Born | 5 July 1968 Wil, Switzerland |
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| Team information | |||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | ||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | ||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | ||||||||||||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||||||||||||
| Amateur team(s) | |||||||||||||
| 1988-1991 | Helvetia, Isotonic, Churrasco, Mavick | ||||||||||||
| Professional team(s) | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1997 1998 1999–2000 2001–2002 2003–2004 |
ONCE Festina Banesto Team Coast Phonak |
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| Major wins | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Infobox last updated on 14 August 2007 |
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Alex Zülle (born 5 July 1968) is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer. During the 1990s he was one of the best cyclists in the world, winning the Vuelta a España twice and taking the second place in 1999 Tour de France. He was world time-trial champion in Lugano in 1996.
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Zülle was born and brought up in Wil in the canton of St. Gallen, son of a Swiss father, Walter Zülle and Wilhelmine, from Brabant, Netherlands. As a child he wanted to be a skier but at 18 he was injured in an accident. He began cycling in Holland for rehabilitation before giving up because it was too windy.[1]
His father, having bought cycling equipment, persuaded him to give cycling another go when they returned to Switzerland. After several years as a successful amateur, Zülle turned professional in 1991. He approached the former sporting director of the Swiss team, Helvetia, Paul Köchli, but Köchli signed Laurent Dufaux instead.[1]
Zülle then approached Manolo Saiz, but was rebuffed because, among reasons, he did not contract riders who wore earrings. Eventually, Saiz softened and Zülle rode for ONCE as a stagaire or apprentice in the Volta a Catalunya. He attacked frequently and finished third. Saiz relented and Zülle signed his first professional contract in September 1991.[2] He remained with ONCE until 1997.[3] Most of its riders were Spanish. Zülle spoke only Swiss-German when he joined but at the end of the Vuelta a España he answered journalists in Spanish.[4]
In 1998, Zülle joined Festina. The team was banned from the 1998 Tour de France amid doping allegations which later became known as the Festina affair. Five Festina riders including Zülle admitted taking EPO.[5] Zülle said he took it to satisfy his sponsors. He also said he was deprived of his spectacles during the police interview.[6] On 28 November 1998, Zülle's haematocrit was found to be 52.3%, 2.3% over the limit.
His career coincided with that of Miguel Indurain, five-time Tour de France winner, and of Lance Armstrong, who won seven times. Zülle never won the Tour but twice finished second. He did win the Vuelta and Tour de Suisse, and stages in the Giro d'Italia.
Zülle retired in 2004, and held a party for his fans in Wil in October that year.[7]
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour de France | ||||||||||||
| General classification | DNF | 41st | 8th | 2nd | 26th | DNF | DNF | 2nd | DNF | - | - | - |
| Mountains classification | - | - | - | 3rd | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Points classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Youth classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Stages won | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Giro d'Italia | ||||||||||||
| General classification | - | - | - | - | - | 14th | DNF | - | - | - | - | |
| Mountains classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Points classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Youth classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Stages won | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Vuelta a España | ||||||||||||
| General classification | DNF | 2nd | 4th | 20th | 1st | 1st | 8th | 37th | 49th | 109th | - | DNF |
| Mountains classification | - | 2nd | - | 3rd | - | 2nd | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Points classification | - | 2nd | 3rd | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Combination classification | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stages won | - | 3 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
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